Toyota Motor Corp President Akio Toyoda publicly apologized for safety problems that have led to recalls, and said the automaker let standards slip in its rise to the top. 

 

Toyota's testimony before members of Congress marks a dramatic peak in a safety crisis. It broke a month ago with a series of recalls over unintended acceleration and braking problems that now includes more than 8.5 million vehicles globally. 

 

The unintended acceleration problems have been linked to at least five U.S. deaths, with 29 other fatality reports being examined by U.S. authorities.